London Underground Circle Line is a Transport for London operated tube line in London, England. Running between Hammersmith and Edgware Road via Victoria, it operates in a spiralling shape, running from Hammersmith in the west to Edgware Road and then looping around central London back to Edgware Road. The railway is below ground in the central section and on the loop east of Paddington.
Unlike London's deep-level lines, the Circle line tunnels are just below the surface and are of similar size to those on British main lines. It is coloured yellow on the Tube map, the 17-mile (27 km) line serves 36 stations, including most of London's main line termini and tourist destinations. Most of the route and all of the stations are shared with one or more of the three other sub-surface lines, namely the District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. On the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines combined, over 114 million passenger journeys were recorded in 2011/12.
History[]
The first section became operational in 1863 when the Metropolitan Railway opened the world's first underground line between Paddington and Farringdon with wooden carriages and steam locomotives. The same year a select committee report recommended an "inner circle" of lines connecting the London railway termini, and the Metropolitan District Railway (commonly known as the District Railway) was formed to build the southern portion of the line. Due to conflict between the two companies it was not until October 1884 that the inner circle was completed. The line was electrified in 1905, and in 1933 the companies were amalgamated into the London Passenger Transport Board. In 1949 the Circle line appeared as a separate line for the first time on the Tube map. In 2009 the closed loop around the centre of London on the north side of the River Thames was broken at Edgware Road and extended west to become a spiral to Hammersmith.
In 1863 the Metropolitan Railway, the world's first underground railway, opened in London between Paddington and Farringdon, connecting the Great Western Railway's relatively remote terminus at Paddington with Euston and King's Cross stations and the City, London's financial heart. In the same year a select committee report recommended an 'inner circle' of railway lines connecting the London termini that had been built or under construction. In the next year the Metropolitan District Railway (commonly known as the District Railway) was formed to build and operate a railway from South Kensington to Tower Hill. The Metropolitan western extension opened in 1868 from a new station at Paddington to South Kensington. By May 1870 the District railway had opened its line from West Brompton to Blackfriars via Gloucester Road and South Kensington, services being operated at first by the Metropolitan.
As well as the inner circle, other routes circumnavigated London, although these were not complete loops. From 1872 the L&NWR began an "outer circle" service from Broad Street to Mansion House via Willesden Junction and Earl's Court, diverting an earlier service that had run to Victoria; and the GWR began a "middle circle" service from Moorgate to Mansion House via Latimer Road and Earl's Court. Both of these routes were cut back to Earl's Court: the "middle circle" in 1900 and the "outer circle" in 1909. The GWR service survived as a shuttle service from the Hammersmith & City line to Addison Road, now Kensington (Olympia), until 1940.
In 1937, O/P Stock trains were introduced.
On 28 September 1970, C69/C77 Stock trains were introduced.
In 1971, the O/P Stock trains were transferred to the District Line and were withdrawn in 1981.
On 13 December 2009, the route was extended from Edgware Road to Hammersmith making the line no longer circular.
On 6 September 2013, brand new S7 Stock trains were introduced.
On 29 June 2014, the C69/C77 Stock trains were withdrawn and the line was converted to a full S7 Stock operation.
The route will be operating joining with district line the hampton court branch on 11th March 2021
Current Route[]
The Circle Line operates via these primary locations.
- Hammersmith
- Goldhawk Road
- Shepherd's Bush Market
- Wood Lane
- White City
- Latimer Road
- Ladbroke Grove
- Westbourne Park
- Royal Oak
- Paddington
- Edgware Road
- Baker Street
- Great Portland Street
- Euston Square
- King's Cross St Pancras
- Farringdon
- Barbican
- Moorgate
- Liverpool Street
- Aldgate
- Tower Hill
- Monument
- Cannon Street
- Mansion House
- Blackfriars
- Temple
- Embankment
- Westminster
- St James's Park
- Victoria
- Sloane Square
- South Kensington
- Gloucester Road
- High Street Kensington
- Notting Hill Gate
- Bayswater
- Paddington
- Edgware Road
Gallery[]
